FitSugar -- Healthy, happy you.

Fast & Easy Dinner: Seared Salmon With Oranges and Fennel

partysugar — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 06:45:32 -0700

Have dinner on the table in minutes with this flavorful salmon dish. Select thin, six-ounce salmon fillets that are firm, but delicate. Once seared, the salmon takes on a buttery, melt-in-your mouth texture.

The fragrant sauce combines citrus juice with crisp fennel and salty olives. For a hearty meal, serve the salmon and vegetables atop couscous.

To look at the delicious recipe,

Yummy Links: From Vegan Lunches to Strawmatoes

partysugar — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 08:00:40 -0700

Here are 10 hearty and filling vegan lunches. — Chow
Check out the shiny, new, made-over look of my favorite party planning blog. — Hostess With the Mostess
Make cake baking easy with aluminum foil pan liners.— The Kitchn
A New York winery has been named winery of the year. — Slashfood
Speaking of wine, these just-released reads will make you thirsty for all things vino. — The Epi-Log
Learn the difference between large and extra large eggs. — Baking Bites
Having your produce delivered is a great way to eat healthier.— FitSugar
A woman has discovered a strawberry growing inside a tomato. — Serious Eats

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Ragweed Allergies Are Upon Us

FitSugar — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 08:00:00 -0700

It seems like I am in a never ending allergy cycle, where the hay fever of Spring blends almost seamlessly into ragweed season. My sinuses seem to be continually fighting pollen of one kind or another. The latest culprit, ragweed, starts blooming in mid-August and the pollen grains are so lightweight that they can travel up to distances of 400 miles. It doesn't take much of this tiny pollen to wreak havoc on your system. It causes classic allergy symptoms such as sneezing, runny noses, swollen, itchy watery eyes so severe that it's hard to function normally.

Ragweed season runs through mid-October in most parts of the US and to see tips on how to deal with the misfortunes this tiny pollen delivers, just

Relax Already: Adopt a Mantra

FitSugar — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 14:30:00 -0700

We've talked about our own workout mantras before, but mantras are amazing little things. They not only motivate you, a good mantra can also work to relieve stress, too. In fact mantras can help people stay calm by easing frustration and tension.

In the most simplest of terms, mantras can quiet your mind. Mantras are one of the easiest, and not to mention cheapest, ways to calm yourself down. A mantra is just a phrase or word that you tell yourself. Eventually your mind will associate your phrase with serenity; it's kind of like Pavlov's dogs and the bell. So find a phrase and when you're really feeling stressed, take a few minutes to quiet your mind and repeat it to yourself over and over until you start to feel the stress and tension release. The simplest mantra is just the word "breathe." It is one syllable and a good reminder to slow down and breathe deeply.

Do you already have a mantra when you are stressed? If so, share it below.

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Fast & Easy Dinner: Pasta with Artichokes, Olives, and Tomatoes

partysugar — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 07:45:34 -0700

This super quick and healthy pasta incorporates many of my favorite Summer flavors: fresh, fragrant basil, burst in your mouth grape tomatoes, and salty black olives. The natural simplicity of the sauce — the veggies and herbs are barely cooked — pairs perfectly with whole wheat spaghetti.

If you prefer not to cook with wine, use a low sodium chicken broth instead. To make this delicious, vegetarian meal tonight,

11 Simple Ways to Cut Calories

partysugar — Wed, 14 May 2008 16:13:57 -0700

11 Simple Ways to Cut Calories
Anyone who's ever tried to lose weight knows it takes work. But it may not require as much as you think. Throwing everything at the problem might, in fact, be exactly why you fail at the latest plan you've sworn you'll stick to. "You have to start small," says Holly Wyatt, MD, a clinical researcher at the Center for Human Nutrition in Denver. "People tend to launch on a weight-loss program and try to change everything in their lives all at once."

You Asked: My Ankles Crack When I Walk Up and Down Stairs

FitSugar — Thu, 15 May 2008 12:00:00 -0700

You're asking and I'm answering . . .

Dear Fit,
Is it normal for my ankles to make a cracking or popping sound, the same sound my knuckles make when I crack them? It happens when I'm walking around in the morning, but especially when I go up or down stairs. It doesn't hurt at all, it's just noisy, and my boyfriend thinks something is wrong with me. Is it something I should worry about?
— Poppy Polly

If you're wondering too then

Top 10 Detoxifying Foods

FitSugar — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 12:30:00 -0700

I'm not a big fan of detoxes. I think that in most cases, they're unnecessary for the average person. With that being said, there is nothing wrong with adding some good fruits and veggies with detoxifying properties to your existing diet to help keep things moving along.

You just don't have to torture yourself by drinking an unappatizing lemonade/maple syrup mixture for two weeks to gain the benefits. Yahoo has listed its top 10 detoxifying foods that you may want to think about adding to your diet. Here are highlights:

Green leafy vegetables: Eat them raw, throw them into a broth, add them to juices. Their chlorophyll helps swab out environmental toxins (heavy metals, pesticides) and protects the liver.
Lemons: Its vitamin C, considered the detox vitamin, helps convert toxins into a water-soluble form that's easily flushed away.
Watercress: The peppery little green leaves have a diuretic effect that helps move things through your system. And cress is rich in minerals, too.

There's more so

Take Clinton's Advice: Don't Inhale – Pot Causes Cancer

FitSugar — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 08:45:00 -0800

There is a long held belief, by many a stoner, that smoking marijuana poses no health threats, just possible legal troubles. Well, I hate to "bum anyone's high" but new studies indicate that regularly smoking pot poses an increased risk for cancer. It seems that smoking a doobie is bad for your lungs.
Researchers in New Zealand found that smoking one joint is the equivalent of smoking 20 cigarettes because joints have no filter. Plus, pot smokers tend to hold the smoke in the lungs increasing their exposure time to the smoke. Cannabis smoke not only contains twice the amount of carcinogens as tobacco smoke, but pot smokers end up with five times more carbon monoxide in their blood stream when compared to tobacco smokers.

To see how much weed makes for the danger zone, just

Fast & Easy Dinner: Linguine and Tuna with Spicy Orange Sauce

partysugar — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 05:29:31 -0800

Although you may not think of canned tuna as a ingredient to use in pasta, I highly recommend you give it a try. Flavorful chunks of meaty packed-in-olive-oil tuna work best for this healthy, midweek meal. The greens and whole wheat pasta are lightly coated with a fragrant sauce before being topped with tuna. Fresh orange juice, spicy red pepper flakes, and delicious dijon mustard pack the sauce with punch. To get this rewarding recipe,